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Article published May 25, 2004
Help break opposition to income tax plan, Sanford urges
voters
JENNIFER HOLLAND
Associated
Press
COLUMBIA -- With a filibuster looming in the Senate to block
a plan to reduce the state's income tax, Gov. Mark Sanford is worried a key
piece of his legislative agenda will be scuttled before the General Assembly
adjourns next week."There's a difference between debate and obstruction," said
Sanford, who added that people are aware time is running out."It deserves as
much debate as people want to put into it on the Senate side," he said. "What we
would hate to see would be for people to filibuster and people never have the
chance to go thumbs up or thumbs down."Sanford jetted to Florence, North
Charleston and Aiken on Monday to visit with small business owners, who the
governor said would benefit from the plan. He urged them to contact their
senators."I'd encourage anyone who cares about creating new jobs, attracting
capital investment, growing small businesses and stimulating economic growth
here in South Carolina to call their senators today and ask them to bring this
important proposal to a vote," Sanford said.The proposal moves the state's top
income tax rate to 4.75 percent from 7 percent over several years. No break
would be implemented in years when the state's revenues don't grow by 4 percent
or more.Critics have said the plan only benefits the top half of the state's
income ladder.Sen. Tommy Moore, D-Aiken, said he wants more explanation of the
plan's economic impact."In a time when we can't or have chosen not to fund
public education and Medicaid, then what does that mean as far as the general
fund?" Moore asked. "But I'm certainly interested in listening."The proposal won
key support from Republican senators last week. Most of the Senate's 27 GOP
members endorsed placing the Senate's version of the income tax reduction
measure onto a bill that cleared the House.The House heavily amended the bill
with a variety of tax measures, but the Senate will take everything out and
insert just the Senate's income tax plan.Moore said it was interesting that
Sanford has allowed his bill to take the same course he adamantly opposed
earlier this year. The governor threatened to sue the General Assembly over the
issue of adding unrelated items to a bill called bobtailing,"I guess bobtailing
occurs only when you get to name the cat that has been bobtailed," Moore
said.Senators also have been upset the governor uses voters as pawns instead of
talking with the lawmakers directly."It's the strongest of the available avenues
to me," Sanford said.Moore said he was concerned the bill was a political hot
potato, and he doesn't want debate or a filibuster to block other bills in the
Senate."Is this issue to the demise of everything else?" he asked.